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When Kevin and I got engaged, there was only one option for our photos: throwback supper club. We’re talking dark wood paneling, old timey cocktails, and fedoras. In other words: Mad Men. Kevin’s a creative director for an advertising agency, I’m addicted to vintage dresses, and we’re both fans of the show — so Don and (brunette) Betty Draper it was. In our quest to create an authentic 1950’s atmosphere, we enlisted the expertise of The Top Steak House, Ely Brothers Photography, Virtue Salon, and The Curiosity Shop. Yesterday afternoon, we posed in various barstools and banquettes at The Top in Bexley while Caleb and Levi Ely snapped shots of us sipping Manhattans and looking austere. Just like we wanted.

Through their uncanny expertise of vintage hair and makeup, Melanie Long and Sarah Harshbarger from Virtue Salon made me look like I just stepped off the train from 1952. Melanie is a sorceress of tresses who spent hours teasing, curling, and pinning my hair until I looked in the mirror and saw a young version of my grandmother. Hello, surreal. And the lovely Sarah, who went out on her own to buy the perfect shade of red lipstick for my getup, painted my face with exquisite precision. The vegan salon opened last year in Clintonville and is a beauty playground filled with talent, grace, and whimsy.

For vintage jewelry, I visited The Curiosity Shop, also in Clintonville. Every necklace, earring, bracelet, and ring in the store is vintage and in perfect condition. With the assistance of owner Lou Slowek, I bought pearl earrings and a matching necklace for the engagement shoot, and a pair of chandelier earrings for our wedding day. Lou is a walking Wikipedia of vintage jewelry whose ability to pair jewelry with clothing is frighteningly cool.

We extend our deepest thanks to The Top, Ely Brothers, Virtue Salon, and The Curiosity Shop for crafting such a genuine, and genuinely fun, engagement picture experience.